Sourdough American Flag Shortcake
This sourdough American flag shortcake is festive and refreshing for summer parties! The fluffy sourdough vanilla shortcake is topped with cream cheese frosting and fresh berries.
This 9×13 dessert serves a crowd and is easy to make while bringing the wow-factor! It will be the star (and stripes) of your next backyard cookout or pool party.
The secret to this easy sourdough shortcake is making it in a 9×13 sheet cake. There’s no baking individual shortcakes and you can make in just a few minutes using sourdough discard. There’s no long fermentation or rise time!
Or you can easily make ahead and have this festive dessert ready to assemble whenever you need it. No last minute scrambling or spending all day in the kitchen!
It’s a light and fresh summer sourdough dessert that brings together the best flavors of summer in a festive, patriotic cake.
Looking for more easy sourdough discard recipes for parties? If you like this recipe, you’ll love my sourdough discard strawberry shortcake bars, sourdough oatmeal chocolate chip cookie bars, and sourdough cowboy cookie bars. My super popular fluffy sourdough discard coffee cake is always a crowd pleaser! All of those recipes make large 9×13 pans of desserts.
Scroll down for the recipe card, followed by detailed step-by-step instructions (with photos).
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Sourdough American Flag Shortcake Recipe
Sourdough American Flag Shortcake
Ingredients
Sourdough Vanilla Shortcake
- ½ cup salted butter 1 stick, softened
- 1 cup white sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 2 eggs
- ¾ cup sourdough discard
- ¾ cup milk
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 8 ounces cream cheese 1 block, softened
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 8 ounces whipped cream see note about my recipe to make homemade whipped cream
Berries
- 1 cup blueberries washed and dried
- 1 pound strawberries 2 cups sliced, use the rest for serving
Instructions
Berries
- Wash all berries and lay out to dry while you make the cake and frosting. When dry, slice the strawberries and set aside.
Sourdough Vanilla Shortcake
- Preheat oven to 350℉ (180℃).
- Mix butter and sugar together in a large mixing bowl until combined.
- Add vanilla extract, salt, baking powder, eggs, and sourdough discard. Mix to combine.
- Pour in half of the milk, half of the flour, and mix. Add the remaining milk and flour and mix until smooth. Don't pour all the flour and milk in at once or the batter will be lumpy.
- Grease a 9×13 baking dish and pour batter into the dish.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes at 350℉ (180℃) until edges start to get lightly gold brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. The cake will be flat and light; it will not rise like a typical cake.
Cream Cheese Frosting
- In a large mixing bowl while shortcake cools, beat together softened cream cheese, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract. Scrape down the side of the bowl as needed and beat until well combined.
- Fold in whipped cream with spatula. Spread cream cheese frosting over the cake once it has completely cooled.
Flag Design
- Arrange blueberries in the upper left corner of the cake in a small rectangle. You may not use the entire 1 cup of blueberries or you may need a few more. Use as many as you need to achieve your desired look.
- Arrange the slice strawberries in 4 stripes so the slices are slightly overlapping one another. You will not use all of the sliced strawberries. Serve any extras in a bowl alongside the cake for extra topping.
- Slice and serve this cake right away or chill in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
Notes
- Whipped cream – You can make my easy homemade whipped cream in less than 5 minutes. It’s my go-to and makes for delicious, creamy frosting!
- Keep cold – This cake needs kept cold so store in the fridge until ready to serve. If serving at an outdoor event where it’s warm, you can nest the cake pan in a tray of ice so the icing doesn’t melt.
- Dry berries – Make sure berries are dry before adding to frosting or extra moisture will make it runny.
Summer is a time to have something quick and easy to whip up in the kitchen for parties and get togethers. I want a dessert that 1) everyone will love and 2) doesn’t take too much time in the kitchen. This sourdough shortcake sheet cake is it!
I also need a dessert that’s going to feed a lot of people. I usually opt for something I can make in a 9×13 pan so I’m not scooping individual muffins or rolling trays of cookie dough. I want something simple I can make in 1 batch and slice up into many servings.
Why you’ll love this recipe
- It’s quick and simple. It may look more complicated with the layers, but it’s incredibly easy! There’s no extended rise time for the sourdough shortcake and the frosting comes together in 5 minutes.
- It’s light and refreshing. Summer is the time for enjoying lighter flavors and textures. This cake is perfect for a cold treat on a hot day.
- It serves a crowd. This cake provides 20 servings when sliced. So it’s ideal for bringing to a backyard bbq, on a lake day, or to a pool party where there will be many people to feed.
- It’s festive. Summer and American flags go hand in hand. Like hotdogs and baseball, it just makes sense! This sourdough American flag shortcake is a festive, patriotic addition to summer gatherings.
Important Ingredients
This sourdough American flag shortcake uses mostly pantry staples along with some fresh ingredients like berries, whipped cream, and cream cheese. Take note for:
- Sourdough discard – You can use flat, unfed sourdough discard or recently fallen sourdough starter. Or you can even use active sourdough starter if that’s what you have available. Any form of sourdough discard or starter will work!
- Whipped cream – I only use homemade whipped cream since I think it tastes the best and has the most wholesome ingredients. You can make your own using my recipe or use store-bought whipped cream for convenience. Just be sure to thaw the package before incorporating it into the frosting.
- Cream cheese – Soften it to room temperature before mixing. This is important to get it evenly incorporated into the frosting.
- Vanilla extract – This is a key flavor in both the buttery vanilla cake and frosting of this recipe. Don’t skimp on the vanilla extract with this one! Any kind of vanilla extract will do, but if you want to kick it up a notch, use homemade. I like this recipe from Natasha’s Kitchen.
- Strawberries – Ripe and sweet strawberries have the best flavor. Learn how to choose ripe strawberries at the store. Be sure all berries are dry before adding them to the topping or the extra moisture will make it soggy!
A full ingredient list with exact amounts can be found in the recipe card above.
How to Make Sourdough American Flag Shortcake (Step by Step)
Berries
Step 1: Wash the blueberries and strawberries and lay them out to dry while you make the cake and frosting. When dry, slice the strawberries and set aside.
Sourdough Vanilla Shortcake
Preheat oven to 350℉ (180℃) while you make the shortcake.
Step 2: Mix butter and sugar together in a large mixing bowl until combined.
Step 3: Add vanilla extract, salt, baking powder, eggs, and sourdough discard. Mix to combine.
Step 4: Pour in half of the milk, half of the flour, and mix. Add the remaining milk and flour and mix until smooth. Don’t pour all the flour and milk in at once or the batter will be lumpy. Adding 1 half at a time keeps the batter smooth.
Step 5: Grease a 9×13 baking dish and pour batter into the dish.
Bake for 20-25 minutes at 350℉ (180℃) until edges start to get lightly gold brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. The cake will be flat and light; it will not rise like a typical cake. This is normal!
Cream Cheese Frosting
Step 6: In a large mixing bowl while shortcake cools, beat together softened cream cheese, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract. Scrape down the side of the bowl as needed and beat until well combined.
Step 7: Fold in whipped cream with spatula. Once the cake has completely cooled, spread the frosting over the cake.
You can also cover the bowl of frosting with plastic wrap and pop it in the fridge to stay chilled while waiting for the cake to cool if needed.
Flag Design
Step 8: Arrange blueberries in the upper left corner of the cake in a small rectangle. You may not use the entire 1 cup of blueberries or you may need a few more. Use as many as you need to achieve your desired look.
Arrange the slice strawberries in 4 stripes so the slices are slightly overlapping one another. You will not use all of the sliced strawberries. Serve any extras in a bowl alongside the cake for extra topping.
Tip for a better flag design: Layer, layer, layer! Layer your berries to create a full, colorful flag. Don’t do a single layer of blueberries. Notice how mine are piled on each other a bit. And the strawberries are overlapping, not spread out. This creates a full and colorful Stars and Stripes!
Slice and serve this cake right away or chill in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
How to Make Ahead
This cake keeps well assembled in the fridge for a day before it is initially served. So if you want to make it in the morning for an evening event, it will be just fine to make as normal. But if you are making it for the next day, it will need a bit more care.
To make a sourdough American flag shortcake ahead of time (for the next day):
- Make the cake, cool completely, and cover the pan with plastic wrap.
- Make the frosting and store in a bowl with an airtight lid or cover tightly with plastic wrap.
- Wash, dry, and slice the berries and store in an airtight container.
- Keep everything–cake, frosting, and berries–in the refrigerator overnight.
To assemble the cake the next day: spread the frosting on the shortcake and top with blueberries and sliced strawberries. Once assembled, keep the cake in the fridge until ready to serve.
Keeping the individual elements of the cake separate until you’re ready to serve it keeps everything as fresh as possible.
How to Serve
Keep the cake in the fridge until you’re ready to serve it. Or you can keep it in a cooler or nest them in a shallow tray with ice if a fridge isn’t available.
It’s perfect for a sourdough 4th of July dessert, backyard BBQ, pool party, or camp out. But most of these summer events are outdoors in warm weather and you don’t want it to melt! So try your best to keep it cold.
How to Store
Store the cake in the refrigerator before serving. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Frequently Asked Questions
This sourdough summer dessert with a sourdough shortcake base and topped with cream cheese frosting and fresh berries truly has it all. Fun, festive, and easy to make, bring the wow to your next gathering with this delicious dessert everyone will love!
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